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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1977
CRACKDOWN ON INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS
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THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WILL STEP UP ITS ENFORCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY REGULATIONS IN A DETERMINED EFFORT TO REDUCE THE HIGH RATE OF ACCIDENTS, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR. PETER WILLIAMS SAID TODAY WHEN LAUNCHING A MONTH-LONG INDUSTRIAL SAFETY CAMPAIGN.
THE COMMISSIONER POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE OVER 30,000 ACCIDENTS AND MORE THAN 100 DEATHS LAST YEAR WHILE TEN YEARS AGO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS WAS 7,000.
+ IN FINANCIAL TERMS, THESE ACCIDENTS COST THE HONG KONG ECONOMY MORE THAN $100 MILLION, THIS MUST BE ADDED TO THE UNIT COST OF PRODUCTION AND THUS AFFECTING OUR COMPETITIVE POSITION. THESE ACCIDENTS ALSO COST AN UNQUANTIFIABLE AMOUNT OF HUMAN PAIN, SUFFERING AND PERMANENT DISABILITY, + HE SAID.
HE ADDED THAT NEARLY 40 PER CENT OF THE ACCIDENTS WERE CAUSED BY DANGEROUS MACHINERY, ALTHOUGH THEY WERE THE LEAST DIFFICULT TO PREVENT SINCE THE MAIN REQUIREMENT WAS THE PROVISION OF GUARDS ON DANGEROUS PARTS OF MACHINERY AND ENSURING THAT THESE GUARDS WERE NOT REMOVED.
REFERRING TO THE FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAK INGS (GUARDING AND OPERATION OF MACHINERY) REGULATIONS WHICH WERE ENACTED IN AUGUST LAST YEAR, MR. WILLIAMS SAID IT WAS MADE CLEAR IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THEN THAT THEY WOULD NOT COME INTO EFFECT UNTIL APRIL 1 THIS YEAR IN ORDER TO GIVE INDUSTRY MORE THAN A SIX-MONTH PERIOD OF GRACE TO CARRY OUT WHATEVER WORK WAS NECESSARY.
THERE WAS A FURTHER PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS DURING WHICH THE REGULATIONS WOULD BE ENFORCED WITH DISCRETION'.
+THIS PERIOD IS NOW ALMOST OVER AND I AM HERE GIVING NOTICE TO THIS EFFECT. I HOPE THAT ALL CONCERNED WILL TAKE NOTE,+ THE COMMISSIONER SAID.
HE SAID THE DEPARTMENT WAS APPROACHING THE PROBLEM OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS ON SEVERAL FRONTS. THE NEXT PHASE WAS THE PRESENT SAFETY CAMPAIGN WHICH WOULD INTRODUCE THE CHARACTER OF +SAFETY SAM+ WHO WOULD APPEAR IN A T.V. FILLER FILM AND FUTURE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY PROMOTIONS.
+ IT IS HOPED, + MR. WILLIAMS SAID, +THAT THIS SOMEWHAT LIGHT- HEARTED APPROACH TO WHAT IS A SERIOUS SUBJECT WILL TRIGGER A RESPONSE IN INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYEES IN THE SAME WAY THAT LAP SAP CHUNG HAS HELPED TO CREATE LITTER-CONSCIOUSNESS.+
MEANWHILE, FACTORY INSPECTORS HAD MODIFIED THEIR METHOD OF INSPECTING FACTORIES SO AS TO GIVE MORE ADVICE WITH DISCUSSION OF SPECIFIC PROBLEMS WITH FACTORY MANAGEMENT.
THE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY TRAINING CENTRE WOULD ALSO CONTINUE ITS PROGRAMME OF SAFETY COURSES FREE OF CHARGE TO INDUSTRY WHICH WERE A WAY OF REACHING THE PEOPLE + IN THE FRONT LINE OF THE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY BATTLE, THE COMMISSIONER SAID.
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